He likes plants, animals, and wants you to give a sh*t. Meet CNU’s newest Campus Cutie, Chris!
Name:Â Chris Shumpert
Year:Â Junior
Majors/Minors:Â Chemistry with a minor in Biology
Hometown:Â Reston, VA (But born in England)
“So Chris, what are you passionate about? What are you interested in?”
“Plants and animals. I also like cooking. I’m very into nature, though. I love all animals, but I love my cats because they taught me about unconditional love, which I think is important. I’m also passionate about self-development. You know, figuring out who I am as a person and improving that, enhancing my strengths while distinguishing my weaknesses.”
“This is kind of deep, but what do you want to see change in the world?”
“People need to take environmentalism much more seriously. We’re losing a lot of biodiversity, and a lot of species are dying. Things aren’t looking better, and we’re more concerned with our own lives when there’s so much life out there. There’s so much that we’ve never even discovered on this earth that we won’t discover because we’re so engrossed in ourselves. I also want people to be nicer. There’s a lot of bullshit. I feel like a lot of people could afford to be nicer.”
“Your major and your passions definitely fit you well. What else are you involved in on campus?”
“I’m the VP of External Relations for Delta Upsilon Fraternity, I’m on a few intramural teams, and I volunteer sometimes for Planned Parenthood.”
“Why did you choose to Go Greek?”
“It actually kind of chose me. I had a hard time making friends when I started at CNU. I didn’t make friends in my hall, and I tried to put myself out there but I didn’t find anywhere I felt I could be myself. But then I talked to some dude in my class and he invited me to hang with his friends. They were approachable and cared about me from the get go. I met more and more people from that group and they took me under their wing. They were there for me, and it turns out they were in DU. I never would’ve imagined myself in a fraternity in high school but it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
“You mentioned you were born in London?”
“I wasn’t born in the city of London, but it’s too complicated to explain. I was born near it though. I was a duel citizen. My mom is English and my dad is American-“
“-Do you wish you had an accent?”
“Yes.”
“Continue haha.”
“I stayed [in England] for two or three years, and then my parents went to New Jersey. Then we went to a bunch of different countries until we finally settled in Virginia when I was five or so. I visit my grandma every summer there though.”
“Weird question, but what video games did you grow up playing?” (*He was definitely playing Super Mario Sunshine prior to this interview*)
“When I was a kid, the biggest console was the Gamecube and the Gameboy Advance. My top games were Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda Windwaker, and Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga. I also played a bunch of Pokemon.”
“Any advice for your fellow captains?”
“Give a shit. Put more passion into what you do. There’s sometimes a weird social thing where it’s cooler to float by and half ass what you do. Being unenthusiastic is the norm right now, but being passionate about things is very, very important. It’s also more respectable. Give a shit about yourself, take care of yourself, focus on making good decisions, and give more of a shit about your classes and what you’re learning.”